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NEW ENGLAND 

Historic Genealogical Society. 



RKPORT 



GEORGE A. GORDON, 



READ AT THE 



ANNUAL MEETING, JANUARY 6, 1892. 



At the annual meeting of the New England Historic Genealogical 
Society, held Jan. 7, 1891, a committee was appointed to investigate 
the matter of the sale, exchange, and removal of books, pamphlets and 
newspapers. 

The printed Proceedings of the Society at that meeting, which 
were edited by the Publishing Committee, contain no record of the 
appointment of that Committee, nor can any mention of its existence 
be found in the synopsis of the proceedings published in the Register 
for July, 1891. 

This significant silence has never been satisfactorily explained. 
One thing has been determined. It is not the fault of the editor of 
publications. 

At the annual meeting held Jan. 6, 1892, Capt. Geo. A. Gordon, 
who had been made a sub committee, and who had in his hands all the 
material from which an intelligent understanding of the subject could 
be formed, read the following report. As no provision was made for 
printing it in the Proceedings of the Society, it has been thought 
proper that a detailed statement of so thorough and exhaustive an 
investigation as this should be placed in the hands of members of the 
Society. 

At that meeting an effort was made to effect a thorough reform 
in the government of the Society, and a "Reform Ticket" was put in 
the field. It was presented by Capt. Gordon, and was headed "Short 
Term for the Presidency; Safe Investment of the Society's 
Funds; No Depletion of the Library." Owing to the fact that 
a severe snow storm was raging, the attendance was small, and the 
effort was unsuccessful, but the margin was so narrow that a loss of 
six votes in the one case and ten in the other would have prevented 
the election of both Mr. Goodell and Mr. Edes. 

The attention of all members of the Society is earnestly called to 
this report, and to the report of the Librarian, the Rev. Dr. Byington, 
which conclusively show the need of a thorough investigation of the 
methods of those who now control the Society. 



TO THE OFFICERS AND MEMBERS 

OF THE 

NEW ENGLAND HISTORIC GENEALOGICAL SOCIETY. 

Boston, Jan. 6, 1892. 
Gentlemen; On the 15th of Jannary, 1891, the under- 
signed received official notification that he had been api)ointed, 
in conjunction Avlth Rev. (ieorge M. Bodge, at the annual 



meeting of the Society, January 7, 1891, a committee to inves- 
tigate the matter of the sale, exchange, and removal of books, 
pamphlets, and newspapers from the library ; having attended 
to the duty charged, he begs to submit a report. 

The Committee met, during the summer, at the call of the 
Chairman at the building of the Society, 18 Somerset street; 
and, at the request of the Chairman, a package of MSS. was 
presented for attention, as embracing all the information in the 
possession of the Society on the subject under consideration. 

This package contained, viz. : 
Eight postal cards addressed to Mr. W. K. Watkins. 
One postal card addressed to the Society. 
One letter from Messrs. Loudermilk & Co., Washington^ 

D. C, addressed to Mr. W. K. Watkins. 
One memorandum note from Mr. G. K. Clarke in behalf of the 

Boston Athena?um. 
One acknowledgment from the Essex Institute of the receipt of 

sundry bound newspapers and public documents as a do- 
nation. 
Report of Committee on Sale of Books, relating to request of 

Mr. S. W. Bush for copies of the Christian Register. 
Two letters from Department of the Interior at Washington, 

D. C, to Mr. Watkins. 
One letter from Department of the Interior at Washington, 

D. C, to the Society. 
One ditto to the Society. 
One (unaddressed) from Mr. Barton, librarian of American 

Antiquarian Society, Worcester. 
A memorandum, untitled and unsigned, and commencing with 

page 2 and extending to page 5, purporting to be a copy 

of proceedings of some body evidently subsidiary to this 

Society, with accompanying papers, viz. : 

A. Signed by Mr. R. C. Winthrop, Jr., Chairman, on a de- 

scriptive list of such bound books, pamphlets, not periodi- 
cal, broadsides, MSS. Engravings of the Society proper 
to be sold or exchanged, 29 Apr., 1889. 

B. Special Committee's report on newspapers and periodicals, 

11 Oct. 1880, with two supplements. 

C. Lists of AYants from the State Library, the Essex Institute, 

and an offer from the librarian of the Minnesota Historical 



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Society to send this Society directories of the city of St. 
Paul. 

D. Report of the Committee on Sale and Exchange of books 

and pamphlets, signed hy Hamilton A. Hill, Sec. pro tern., 
21 Nov., 1887. 

E. Book Catalogues, Bound Vols. Newspapers ; Unbound 

Files do. ; List of Single do. ; Fiction and Literature 

pamphlets; List of Text Books. 
C, Report to the Council, 29 Sept. 1890, signed G. H. Xor- 

cross, Chairman. 

These papers have had the careful examination and inspec- 
tion of your Committee, and have been returned, at his request, 
to the Rev. Dr. Byiiigton, Librarian. 

Your Committee notice the total absence of invoices of 
shipments of books, pamphlets, or other treasures of the Soci- 
ety, and of corresponding acknowledgments from parties receiv- 
ing, save in a single instance, in which the Librarian of the 
Essex Institute acknowledges the receipt of a very large con- 
signment as a donation. 

Your Committee notice the absence of evidence of values 
received for any removals from the library. 

Your Committee are unable to report what volumes, 
pamphlets, or other treasures have been removed from the li- 
brary, whither they have gone other than to the Essex Institute, 
Avhat disposition has been made of them, or what has been re- 
ceived for them. 

Your Committee find in the papers submitted, grounds for 
belief that large removals have been made from the library, 
and, as at present advised, your Committee report no advan- 
tage to the Society, thereby, except shelf room and the hiatus 
resulting from the loss. 

GEO. A. GORDON. 



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